Too old to code …for bread

I define old relative to my stay in the freelance service sector space for about 2 decades now. I feel that I have overstayed my welcome and it is time to move on to other interests. The primary motivating factor for me is that I don’t find fulfillment in the work I do anymore. Not to mention the compensation relative to the value you’ll have to provide isn’t worth it in most cases… You barely break even in most cases. I still want to code, just not for my bread and butter anymore.

I like creating things, making concepts into working solutions for like minded individuals. But in this age of subsidized, instant gratification of turn-key solutions by companies; More and more people don’t see the value in investing in an idea or concept. Which in turn means less potential clients for us small, boutique service providers, who consequently have to compete against each other for this shrinking resource. I can’t blame people for wanting to get the best bang for their back but at the same time you can’t milk the cow dry and expect more milk in the future. This juxtaposition has led me to be burned out and I can’t help but think that my industry is slowly regressing into monopolized per-packaged everything.

I used to be idealistic, thinking I can make a living off of my passion. Which I did for a time, Sadly all good things come to an end. I have reached the conclusion that I will need to separate the things I do for pleasure and business. I don’t want to go into the economics of things, since there are too many variables. My only gripe is the double standard of of the industry of wanting to pay less for more. Taking advantage of the vicious cycle of peddling low paying jobs to those who have no choice but to take them. This is a common practice in a lot of industries, and I understand that it’s a product of market forces. I have nothing against the people who partake in this practice, that’s their hustle and I respect that. I’ve been there. All I am saying is that I don’t want to be part of that anymore. I want to provide value to my environment and community, and be able to look back and have personal pride in my contributions.

It is still an idealistic undertaking, but I don’t wanna partake in any rat race. I simply want to stay in my lane, do things in my pace and enjoy the journey and not stress about the destination. I am thankful that my tenure in the industry has afforded me the opportunity to make this choice; I wish the same for you, who is in a similar predicament.